Prostate Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Prostate Cancer, including details on symptoms, genetics, screening, treatment, information.

Inactivation of AR activates HGF/c-Met system in human prostatic carcinoma cells.

Maeda A, Nakashiro K, Hara S, Sasaki T, Miwa Y, Tanji N, Yokoyama M, Hamakawa H, Oyasu R

Department of Urology, Organ Function Integrative Medicine, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime 791-0295, Japan.

Clinical studies with prostate cancer tissue indicate that alterations in androgen receptor (AR) or c-Met overexpression are associated with androgen-independent progression. We investigated the interaction between AR and c-Met signaling in human prostate cancer cells. Androgen withdrawal or AR-specific small interfering RNA significantly reduced the growth rate while each maneuver induced the expression of c-Met. Knockdown of both AR and c-Met expression markedly inhibited the cell growth. Furthermore, microarray analysis indicated that the activation of c-Met down-regulated the expression of DNA repair-related genes including 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase. Exogenous hepatocyte growth factor also induced the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species and resulted in the accumulation of DNA damages. These results suggested that the activation of c-Met signaling may lead to induction of spontaneous mutations or genomic instability, which may lead to the progression of androgen-independent state. Thus, c-Met signaling is utilized for survival and growth under the androgen-depleted condition.

Published 1 August 2006 in Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 347(4): 1158-65.
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